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2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

12 Ranked Colleges
1,238 Degrees Awarded
$13,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 8,001 people earned their degree in aerospace and aeronautical engineering, making the major the 94th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,535 and had an average of $24,126 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,238 aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,742 and $23,948 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in aerospace and aeronautical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great aerospace and aeronautical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the aerospace and aeronautical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 264 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $5,670 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full U-M Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

2
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 426 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,853 for great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 154 diplomas to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,036 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UIUC Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,581 for great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Notre Dame is $9,136 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Notre Dame

6

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Case Western, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Case Western Reserve University is $15,570 for great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Case Western Reserve University Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 101 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UC is $15,966 for great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

8
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

WMU also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $15,552 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Western Michigan University

9

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s aerospace engineering degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $21,101 for great lakes region aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Illinois Tech Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

10
UDayton crest
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio

With a ranking of #10, University of Dayton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Dayton is a fairly large school located in Dayton, Ohio that handed out 18 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UDayton also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Dayton is $20,992 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Dayton

11

University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 10 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Akron Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Akron Main Campus is $15,510 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Akron Main Campus

12

Kent State University at Kent landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Kent State is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 11 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kent State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kent State is $15,021 for Great Lakes Region Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Kent State

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